MIDDLETOWN -- A state police criminal records bureau employee accused of deleting a friend's two arrest files is seeking a special form of probation.

AMY L. ZITKA

Published
12:00 am EDT, Friday, September 12, 2003

Sharyn A. Lemley, 34, a five-year office assistant with the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification, withdrew her innocent pleas on Thursday in Middlesex Superior Court and applied for the accelerated rehabilitation program. Lemley, formerly of Cromwell and currently of 1010 New Britain Ave., Rocky Hill, was arrested by state police detectives July 24 on a warrant and charged with commission of a computer crime and two counts of unlawful removal or altering of records.

The charges stem from a June 18 incident that allegedly occurred at the 1111 Country Club Road headquarters. Detectives from the State Police Central District Major Crime Squad were called in to investigate an apparent unauthorized deletion of two records from the computerized criminal history database, according to the arrest warrant.

"I do firmly believe she's innocent of any crime," Lemley's defense attorney David Jaffe said Thursday. "She has no criminal record at all."

Accelerated rehabilitation is a one-time program for individuals charged with criminal or motor vehicle violations that are misdemeanors and low-level felonies, according to state law. If the program is granted, a person is placed on probation for up to two years, with the potential of added special conditions. If the person successfully completes the program, the charges may be dismissed, according to state law.

Lemley is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 9 for a hearing on her program application.

Applying for the AR program does not admit a person's guilt, Jaffe said. While many may use the route to forgo the expense of a trial, he said, "I believe she's innocent."

On June 17, Lemley asked a fingerprint processing technician for fingerprints of a friend to be retrieved. However the technician told Lemley the written request must be accompanied by a fingerprint according to policy, the warrant said.

The technician did an initial check and saw the person had two pending arrest files from Rocky Hill Police from June 7 on criminal and motor vehicle charges, according to the warrant. The charges -- drunken driving, possession of narcotics, interfering with police and breach of peace --were considered to be pending because the cases had not gone through the court system. A week later, when the technician processed the properly-filed request, the two arrest files had been deleted.

"By accident, she struck the delete key on her computer while (Lemley's friend's) files were on the screen," Lemley told detectives, the warrant said. Lemley also told detectives she was in a rush to get out at 3:20 p.m., and she did not inform a supervisor of the erasure.

However, through the investigation, it was determined by looking at the computer system records, the deletions were made on June 18 at 10:47 a.m., according to the warrant. Files cannot be erased by one keystroke, but a long procedure which includes a safeguard warning against accidental deletion, the warrant said. The files would also be required to be entered separately into the computer.

Lemley also told detectives she was trying to save time for another person, and she "had no intention of any wrongdoing," the warrant said.